China Doll - S1-E3
Continuity mistake: When Magnum and TC are in the chopper headed to Kauai with the passengers in the back, Magnum's microphone is attached to the helmet on his left side, but in a couple of closeups from behind Magnum his mic is attached to the right side (not flipped shots). (00:07:25)
Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii - S1-E1
Visible crew/equipment: After Magnum just barely gets into the Ferrari before Higgins' beauties get hold of him, when the alarm goes off Magnum punches in a code. In the next shot, at the left side of the screen, we can see a crew member (presumably the dog trainer) wearing a dark shirt standing beside the dogs, before Higgins or the two women are anywhere near the car. (00:05:30)
The Case of the Red-Faced Thespian - S4-E12
Revealing mistake: When Magnum and friends are trying to figure out of the invitations mystery, the telephones on Higgins' desk are unplugged. (00:36:00)
The Case of the Red-Faced Thespian - S4-E12
Other mistake: In the opening credits, the title of the episode appears without hyphen. (00:01:35)
Continuity mistake: Serious matters of Little League espionage are discussed as TC accuses Magnum. When he says "They beat Taiwan" he has not a hand on the cooler full of Gatorade with badly camouflaged labels, but he does then, right at the cut. (00:05:40)
Revealing mistake: When Danny runs away from the baseball field, the camera pans towards the left and stops while several people in the fictional Jororo army uniform storm the area on foot and jeep. But to the far left in the distance, you can spot a legit Hawaiian cop at the roadblock used to film freely in the street. (00:02:35)
Revealing mistake: Danny runs away from the game, and is chased by army people on a jeep. The two cars (the jeep and another one parked there) have fictional license plates, supposedly from Jororo, since the opening caption specified "The Jororo Islands." However when the secret service guy and the coach have caught up with him, two cars in the supposed back alley of a normal Jororo suburb have Hawaii license plates - where the series was filmed. (00:03:10)
Revealing mistake: The prince runs away from the game and into the market, where army people on jeeps chase him. They crash goods, topple carts and all sort of destruction, but the extras in the market are actually having a great time and most of them just laugh while people with automatic weapons shove them aside and spill on the ground their stuff. (00:02:45)
Other mistake: With episode 11, "Thicker Than Blood", the opening changes to the truly iconic version associated with the series, with a large overhaul of footage. There must have been some hiccup making it though, because the title of the series appears as "Magnum PI", no punctuation. There's a version of the opening that includes the correct "P.I." title card.
Two Birds of a Feather - S3-E19
Revealing mistake: Sam takes off from Van Nuys on his Super Stearman. We'll see him in Waco do all sort of acrobatics...but when he is first shown in the air right after talking with Richard Roundtree, you get a glimpse of another cockpit where the real pilot is, strapped with the safety belt that pokes in frame. (00:20:30)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Revealing mistake: When Magnum and friends sing "Silent Night" at the end, fake starry night background and dry ice clouds are perfectly discernable. (00:46:00)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Other mistake: The three friends mistake Higgins' footprints in the sand for a pirate's. They find him and they have their explanation; Higgins is carrying a cane and some palm leaves; dragging the palm leaves, he involuntarily erases the prints of his foot, while the cane leaves a circular print akin a wooden leg's. That makes no sense, because as it is shown, Higgins is holding the cane in his right hand, and dragging the palms with his left; he'd wipe the prints of his left foot, if anything. And yet when Rick pointed at the prints, it was obviously a left footprint. (00:18:20)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Continuity mistake: TC is working by the tail rotor to fix the vibration. It's red with thin white stripes. By the end of the episode the rotor is the opposite; white with red stripes. (00:06:40 - 00:44:20)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Audio problem: On the beach, TC is comforting Higgins who is depressed for the unceremonious ending of his sailing adventure. He tells him "It could have worked." There's a cut to Higgins and silence between the two, but you can spot at the edge of the frame that Roger E. Mosley's mouth is moving with no sound. (00:38:20)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Continuity mistake: Magnum and the others push Higgins' makeshift boat into the sea. Water does not even reach Magnum's knees, but as Higgins keeps pontificating from the sinking vessel, Magnum is thigh deep in salt water, with splashes all over the crotch. (00:34:00)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Continuity mistake: By the Japanese wreckage, Higgins calls it a "reconnaissance plane." Rick has his arms folded. Next shot and he has his arms down; takes him a couple seconds before he folds them. (00:21:05)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Continuity mistake: When the three buddies rush into the clearing before Higgins and he calls them "cannibals", he holds the palm branches at hip-height in the shot from behind, breast-high in the front views. (00:19:10)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Continuity mistake: Rick first follows Magnum carrying branches. When Magnum passes him an additional one, look at his shirt; from the side you can see it's almost entirely unbuttoned. In the front view he has "just" the top three undone, and then he takes off his shirt when Magnum spooks him. (00:13:30)
Operation: Silent Night - S4-E10
Continuity mistake: In the opening shots, the helicopter is the N58243 one with flotation pads, but as soon as it starts malfunctioning, the pads thin up and we switch to the usual chopper. The skids change shape back and forth again once. (00:02:05)
Revealing mistake: The closing shot of the episode shows the lookout point platform where the suicide attempt happened...but also, below it, you can catch a glimpse of an additional platform, and a rope probably used for safety reasons as well. Needless to say, it was not featured in the dramatic shot of Holly looking down into the abyss. (00:46:55 - 00:47:40)
